Mangled Love
by les4love
Summary: The death of Prince Phillip leave Aurora and Mulan to attempt to rebuild their shattered lives. With his last breath Phillip asks Mulan to protect Aurora from any harm but as Aurora grows into her strength and detemination the task grows increasingly difficult. But the women's dreams will be altered forever as they grow closer with every sleepless night.


Aurora jolted out of her sleep with a small cry; the nightmare happened again, the one that Mulan kept telling her should be considered a good dream. But it was a nightmare, a vision of the world that was not and would never be. The horrors of this world were gone, the land had never died and her sleep had only lasted the year that she felt it had. Time was not frozen and people were happy, smiling, laughing. Her people were well taken care of, they were fortunate and happy, living in a world where the Evil Queen never had power and the curse never existed. She hunched over, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself, reminding herself to breathe normally to steady her heart. She kept quiet and still, not wanting to wake Mulan again, for it would be the fifth night in the row that the warrior would refuse to go back to sleep and stay up to assure herself that Aurora was not going to leave the hut and do something to put herself in danger. After the first nightmare, when Mulan found Aurora crying in the rain about four miles into the woods outside the safe haven, she was careful to keep an eye on Aurora. Mulan had promised Prince Phillip, before he had passed, that she would forever keep Aurora safe from anything that could possibly harm her. And, in Mulan's mind, that promise included nightmares, tears and lonely nights. Aurora was grateful for the attentiveness, she was happy to have someone who would be there no matter what the circumstance, and she couldn't put into words how good it felt to have someone who was so fiercely loyal to her under all circumstances.

Mulan felt Aurora moving on the down mattress that the two women shared, and forced her eyes to open just enough to see through tiny slits, without alerting the princess that she was awake and aware of what was going on. Aurora looked thoroughly shaken and she stared off into the dark, Mulan could practically see the thoughts coursing through her mind. Aurora had experienced the dream again; Mulan knew that it was born of bitter regrets and a fierce want for the life that she had before the curse had ripped through the Enchanted Forest and turned their world to a dark alternative reality that none of them could escape from. But Mulan knew that Aurora didn't like it when she stayed up to fuss over her; it typically caused arguments and the pretty princess would practically ignore her existence the next day. Mulan thought that it was typical for Aurora to hold grudges, as prude women often do, but she was sure that Aurora understood why Mulan treated her so delicately. The thought of anything happening to Aurora made Mulan shudder, she could feel a cold chill creep through her core with just the thought of harm coming to the princess. Her promise to Phillip was a sacred one, made in the last moments of his short, but beautiful life. Mulan had loved him deeply, wanting nothing more than for him to see her as he saw Aurora. But she knew that True Love would forbid a relationship between the two of them and had always been content to love him from afar. It was almost an entirely different world after Aurora had been woken, Phillip was a different person and his focus had become so much sharper. It was a strange transformation, but Mulan understood it. His only care, his only wish was to get Aurora and Mulan back to the safe haven, safely and without incident. Phillip did love Mulan, but not so deeply and not so truly as he loved Aurora. And so, when Mulan knew that she was Aurora's only hope of survival in this new, harsh world, she had no choice but to make Aurora and her safety her only priority.

She reached over and placed her hand on Aurora's, a small gesture but one that she knew would bring comfort. Aurora was stubborn and strong willed, she wouldn't accept the help unless she was at her wits end. This was something that Mulan had learned quickly and that she appreciated in the young woman. She didn't feel that she had the patience to baby and coddle a princess who didn't want to accept to loss of her prince and the loss of her world after a 28 year slumber on a pretty silk pillow. Aurora gave Mulan's hand a squeeze and looked down at her.

"Did I wake you?"

Mulan shook her head slightly and sighed, "I don't sleep much, I just happened to wake while you were sitting up. Same dream again?"

Aurora gazed at her, brown eyes boring holes into Mulan's dark exterior, "I didn't want to wake you. But I'm sorry that I did. And yes, it was the same dream again. No different, just the world as it should be."

Mulan propped herself up on her elbow, "Well, Princess, perhaps it will be restored to the way it was, one day. We have to have hope, have faith that the goodness and beauty of this world still lies under the darkness. That is what Phillip used to say when we would show doubts in our survival."

Aurora's eyes grew wide, it was the first time that Mulan had mentioned him in such a personal way. "He always did know how to look at the bright side, even in such dark times. I do wish he were here, I feel as though I was robbed of the time I was meant to spend with him. He was taken from me far before his time."

"He gave his life to protect you, Aurora. You shouldn't hold anger for that, no matter what the cause of his death."

"I did not ask him to sacrifice himself for me. Nor did you."

Mulan gazed at her, trying to determine the best way to respond. Aurora knew that Mulan loved Phillip, she knew how deep the feelings for him ran, but she never held it against Mulan. She understood how easy it was to fall in love with Phillip, to want him in your life, to be completely and utterly lost in his beautiful brown eyes. "No; but I would have done it for either of you, and you would have done it for either of us had you been given the opportunity."

Aurora sighed and let her body fall back down to the down mattress. "Mulan, may I ask you something?" Mulan nodded and Aurora turned her gaze to the ceiling. "How did you know that you loved him?"

Mulan's eyes widened as she considered the question. "I knew that I loved Phillip when I wished it was me that he was searching for." The answer had been spontaneous, unplanned and shocking. Mulan had never put it into words and she was sure that Aurora would be forever offended at the blunt honesty of the answer.

Aurora smiled and rolled over to face her, "I would too if I had been in your shoes. I know he loved you, Mulan, it was so plainly obvious."

"I know he did, but it was never the way that he loved you."

Aurora wound her fingers in Mulan's and let her eyes drift closed. "Don't leave me, Mulan. I need you here." The words were whispered so quietly that Mulan could have mistaken it for her imagination.

She laid herself back down on the mattress, facing Aurora, and let her hand close around the delicate, pale fingers. She stared at her for a moment, taking in the contours of Aurora's face, and then let herself drift back to sleep.

M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A. M&A.

Mulan woke slowly, her senses coming to her through a haze that she couldn't quite place the origin of. She flexed her hand, expecting to feel Aurora's soft skin, and found it empty. It was then that she snapped her eyes open and, upon seeing the empty space on Aurora's side of the mattress, jolted her senses back to their fully alert state. She sat up quickly and shrugged her tunic on, not bothering with her armor, and quickly padded across the hut to the front door. She peered outside and breathed a sigh of relief. Aurora was outside, cooking small eggs on a fire in the open space in front of their hut. She stepped outside and walked to Aurora. "You can't leave the hut without me."

Aurora looked up at her for a moment and grinned, "You were sleeping and I was hungry. Don't complain; you don't have to cook breakfast today."

Mulan crossed her arms and pierced Aurora with her sharp gaze, "I'm serious. How can I keep you safe if I can't keep you in the hut?"

Aurora shot her a coy look and smiled, "Perhaps if you entertained me while we were inside the hut I wouldn't want to go outside."

Mulan almost choked on the words she was hearing, but she managed to play it off as if she hadn't caught the undertones. "I'm sorry, how am I supposed to entertain you."

Aurora looked her full in the face now, pouting her pretty lips and quipped, "You could put that down mattress to good use. I doubt it was made with the sole intention of sleeping."

Mulan opened her mouth to respond, but her face settled into a frown and she closed it again. She stood for a moment, staring down at the princess who had just shocked her so utterly and then realized she still had not gotten dressed. She pointed to the hut behind her and managed to utter the word "Armor," before turning and practically running back to the hut. Mulan was baffled by the brazen taunting that Aurora had enjoyed so much, and she couldn't help but wonder if Aurora was even somewhat serious about the notion of them using the mattress as more than just a place to sleep. Mulan couldn't deny that Aurora was incredibly beautiful, and she was so self-possessed that it was impossible not to want to experience the wanton physical lust that could overcome them.

Mulan had always found her thoughts wandering to the pretty girls surrounding her, but she had never acted on those thoughts for fear of shaming her family with such a forbidden act. But now, she wanted more than ever to explore the wonders of a woman, and Aurora was presenting the opportunity to act on that yearning. Mulan sighed and shook her head, she warned herself to find another woman. She implored with her mind to find a woman who was not the beloved of Phillip, who was not the love of her love, a woman who would not bring unyielding guilt and regret that could consume her and force her to enter into an entirely new state of emotional being. But she could already tell that she was in trouble with Aurora, that feelings were already developing and Aurora wasn't going to simply let them fade. Something was brewing in the princess and Mulan could tell, without a doubt in her mind, that she was the center of the new, intense wants, needs and feelings of the inexperienced girl. She never minded being the experiment, but only when she could control the situation and keep a handle on how deep she feel into the emotions. Mulan knew that this would be a game with rules that were laid out by Aurora, a game that would lead to exactly where Aurora wanted and that she would be along for the ride. If Aurora wanted to love her, she would, and if Aurora wanted Mulan to love her, then she would find a way to make that happen. Her charm and wit were astounding and Mulan knew that she was helpless to overpower her in this dangerous game.


End file.
